Councilor Tevos heaved a deep sigh as the screen in front of her went blank. She had just completed yet another two-hour meeting with a corporate hound attempting to squeeze as many credits out of her as possible.

Despite herself, she reminisced about times past, when politics and placating individuals of overinflated ego was simply unnecessary. They were simpler times, but they were not without their own hardships.

Reaching under her desk, Tevos retrieved a tall bottle and a glass from a hidden cupboard she'd personally installed in her desk. The task had allowed her to relax after a mind-numbing meeting and had secured a location to hide her rather…unorthodox refreshments.

Just as Tevos was about to pour herself a drink, her omni-tool alerted her that she was receiving a call. Chuckling morosely at the cruelty of a universe that prevented its inhabitants from becoming inebriated when they desired, Tevos replaced the bottle and glass in their compartment and connected the call. "Tela? This is a surprise. I would not have expected you to have information to report so soon since your departure."

"I don't have much, but what I did find is…concerning."

Eyes narrowed, Tevos said, "In what way?"

"Councilor, who specifically commanded the teams the Citadel sent to investigate Ilos?"

"Sparatus. Valern offered peripheral support by allowing him command of an STG team while Anderson and I worked to rebuild the Citadel, but that was years ago. I do not see why it would be pertinent."

"Because Rigel and I just stopped at Ilos. We couldn't wake Vigil because he'd been erased."

Tevos's fist clenched in front of her, but Tela was not done speaking.

"When N…nothing came up, we dug a little deeper and triggered a trap. The Collectors had a vessel in orbit before we could even make it out of the facility. They'd set a trap for us. Not only did they know we'd be there, but they knew we'd be able to power Vigil's computer back on. They were somehow prepared for a team attempting to wake Vigil up.."

"So you believe Sparatus's team to have been in league with the Collectors." Tevos said, her tone signifying she was treating this accusation with the gravity it deserved.

"That's possible, but it isn't the most likely scenario in my mind. I think Sparatus just had them touch down on Ilos and move some dirt around before leaving, telling the rest of the Council the problem was dealt with and letting the Collectors move in to set their trap."

"Tela, is it not possible that Sparatus's team did their jobs effectively and the Collectors still arrived after they were gone? What specifically causes you to believe a Citadel Councilor is in league with the enemy?"

There was a long silence. Tevos was beginning to think Tela was about to retract her accusation when the Spectre spoke once more.

"Rigel was the one who broke into our Spectre data a little while back. Before you take action against him, hear me out." Tela finished hurriedly.

"I am waiting." Tevos said, already having known Rigel was responsible for the breach and not intending to take any action against the man.

"He found data in Nihlus's file that showed Saren had a dramatic personality shift before he attacked the Citadel."

"Such is typically the case with megalomaniacal individuals who believe themselves superior to everything. I do not see evidence enough of your claim, Tela. Please stop speaking around the truth and simply trust me with what you know." It was clear Tela was obscuring something, likely to protect her friend, but things would be so much easier if the Spectre would just come out and say it.

After a brief pause, Tela said, "Rigel and I believe the Reapers have a way to influence people – maybe even outright control them."

Tevos froze in her seat, tortured screams and misshapen, broken figures flashing forth unbidden from the darkest recesses of her mind. "Are you…" No, that was a pointless question. The career Spectre would not even broach the possibility were she not certain. If the enemy could co-opt her own forces and turn them against her… "You are sure Sparatus has been taken?"

"No." Tela answered immediately, almost desperately. "We're suspicious, not sure. We know this is something the Reapers could do, but we don't know the cause or limitations. I'm just warning you so that you can–"

"I will investigate this personally." Tevos said, cutting Tela off as she stood from her chair, a determined look on her face.

"No! Councilor… Tevos, I told you so you could be prepared in case he tried something. You need to–"

"If the Citadel Council is compromised, we will lose this war before it ever begins. I must see to this. Speak to your allies and see if you can determine what this influence is, how it appears, how it affects its targets, learn everything you can. I will be in contact shortly."

"Tevos, wa–"

Tevos disconnected the call. She walked around her desk and exited her office. "Xaness, Haleez, come with me." Tevos said to the two, heavily armed and armored Asari standing guard on either side of her door.

"Of course, Councilor. How may we assist you?" Haleez asked.

"We are investigating claims of treason against the Citadel." Tevos said calmly.

Haleez and Xaness tensed, their eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Councilor," Xaness said insistently. "Let us call our sisters and handle this ourselves. You must not endanger yourself."

"I appreciate your concern, Xaness, but we cannot draw undue attention to ourselves lest the guilty party flee. I may not be as young as I once was," Tevos grinned, a powerful, blue energy gathering in her hands. "But I am quite capable of looking after myself. Do not speak of what I have told you to anyone as we travel. We must be subtle."

Both Asari nodded, their grip on their rifles tightening as they followed Councilor Tevos away from her office.

Before Tevos could make it to her skycar, she was beset by the most atrocious, vile, putrescent, loathsome entity the cosmos had conceived in the entirety of its existence – the press.

"Councilor Tevos! Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Does the Council intend to continue to ignore the plight of humanity? Thousands of human colonists have been kidnapped and we do not even know the guilty party. The Council refuses to even investigate these crimes! Humanity demands action, Councilor."

Adopting a kind, compassionate smile, Tevos turned to fully face the reporter and said, "Khalisah, of course the Council is heartbroken to hear of these disappearances, but there is nothing we can do overtly. The Terminus Systems are beyond our jurisdiction. What precedent would we set if we showed preferential treatment to races with a seat on the Council?"

"Was it not humanity that saved the Citadel from a Council Spectre two years ago? Was it not humanity that saved your life during that very same attack, Councilor? Do you believe humanity's fleets hold less value than your own life?"

Tevos would grant the woman this much, she certainly knew how to manipulate the truth to fit her narrative. Unfortunately for her, Tevos had spent ages mastering that same skill.

"None can contest that Humanity is owed a debt for their heroism against Saren and his Geth, but I would hesitate to call Saren a Council Spectre. Before his fall, Saren was vocal about the superiority of himself and his people. When the true depths of his insanity were uncovered, I personally disavowed him and aided Commander Shepard in her mission to bring him to justice at every turn."

"The same Commander Shepard who was reported to have been killed shortly after Saren's attack on the Citadel and was recently reinstated as a Spectre but who has not been seen by the public?"

Smiling patiently, Tevos said, "Khalisah, you know I cannot comment on the current missions of a Council Spectre. You have my word that Shepard is herself. She now works to aid both the Council and her people."

Khalisah's eyes narrowed as she said, "If Commander Shepard is aiding her people, why is she not investigating the disappearances in the Terminus…" Khalisah trailed off when Tevos's smile turned glowing.

"As I said, Khalisah, I cannot speak on the current missions of Council Spectres. The actions of Spectre Shepard and Spectre Vasir must remain classified for their own protection."

"Tela Vasir is assisting Commander Shepard in finding our colonists?"

Tevos's omni-tool lit up on her arm, and she made a grand show of opening a screen. "Unfortunately, Khalisah, I am needed elsewhere. Thank you for the service you provide the citizens of Citadel Space."

Moving past Khalisah, Tevos entered her skycar, smiling pleasantly as Xaness and Haleez entered the front seats and closed the doors. The skycar lifted into the air, leaving Khalisah behind.

"Perfectly timed, Xaness. Thank you." Tevos said, closing down the call Xaness had subtly sent to her omni-tool.

"You are welcome. Time is of the essence, Councilor. What is my destination?"

"Councilor Sparatus's office."

Xaness and Haleez both tensed.

"Ma'am," Haleez said hesitantly. "Councilor Sparatus is the suspected traitor?"

Tevos nodded. "Yes. That is why you are to share none of this with anyone until I allow it. It is possible I received false information. I go now to determine the truth for myself."

"Councilor, let us confront him in your stead. We will–"

"I am sure you would do splendidly." Tevos said, cutting off Xaness. "But I must do this myself. I have worked beside the man for years. If he has betrayed me, I will be the one he answers to. You both will be close enough to provide aid should I require it, and I will need you to see to his guards should the worst happen."

"Ma'am, I insist–"

"If I require assistance, I shall call for you. Otherwise, you will not intervene. Am I understood?"

Xaness and Haleez were obviously conflicted, but they both gave muted affirmations to Tevos's order.

It wasn't long before the skycar landed.

Tevos and her guards disembarked and began the short walk to Sparatus's office. Tevos smiled at the guards outside Sparatus's office as she walked inside, motioning for Xaness and Haleez to wait outside.

"Councilor Sparatus," she greeted as she entered his office, the Turian shooting her an irritated look over a monitor he was working on. "I'm sure this will only take a moment."

The door slid closed behind her.

X

Considering some of the more volatile missions Commander Jane Shepard had been on in her life, Ilium was practically a pleasant stroll on the beach. Sure, she'd had to fight her way through a facility of corrupt suits, but Thane had cleared out the vast majority of the building's security force before her team had even arrived. Recruiting Samara was as simple as agreeing to give her a ride to Omega sometime before they hit the Collectors – something about a murderous fugitive. Shepard made a mental note to talk to Samara and get the details later as she disembarked from the Normandy.

"So what are we looking for, Shepard?" Garrus asked as they made their way through C-Sec. Shepard's Spectre status ensured they made it through the checkpoint with nothing but a few glares.

"Not sure," Shepard admitted. "Supposedly she's the one that will get in contact with us."

"Then we are under observation?" Thane asked, slowly looking around their surroundings, his gaze sharp.

"We're on the Citadel. There's a dozen cameras on everyone all the time." Garrus said, amused. "One extra pair of eyes on us won't change much."

"Either way, there's not much we can do but make ourselves obvious and wait for our contact to reach out. Let's head to the Krogan statue in the Presidium. If we stand in the middle of everything for fifteen minutes and our friend is a no-show, we'll try something a little more active."

Shepard led the way forward, passing through C-Sec and heading towards a skycar to take to the Presidium. She needn't have bothered.

Shepard's eyes snapped to her right as one of those annoying advertisement pillars turned to static before being overtaken by a different image. It was a woman in a dark hood that obscured her features. The most notable features Shepard could make out from beneath the shadows cast by the woman's hood were a purple line from the woman's lower lip down to her chin that appeared to be a tattoo and two points of white light peering through the darkness of the hood that were obviously some form of cybernetic eyes. "Commander Shepard, we have the finest companions waiting for you. Perhaps something petite, smart and japanese would be your style."

Shepard looked at Garrus and raised an eyebrow. Her friend just looked amused. Shaking her head at the theatrics, Shepard approached the pillar.

"Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard." the advertisement said.

"Silence is Golden." Shepard responded, an entertained smirk on her face.

The woman's lips pulled up into a smile. "Nice to meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto – I'm a fan."

"Nice to meet you too, Kasumi. This is Garrus and Thane." Shepard said, motioning to her companions.

Kasumi nodded. "Charmed."

"So what was with all the cloak and dagger? Didn't think you could trust me?" Shepard said, raising an eyebrow at Kasumi.

"I'm the best thief in the galaxy, not the most famous. The 'cloak and dagger' keeps it that way. I didn't know if I could trust this, it sounded too good to be true. Most of my doubts were dealt with the last time you stopped by the Citadel. I tried to flag you down then, but you went off to Purgatory to meet with Spectre Vasir and that boytoy she's been galavanting around the galaxy with. You seemed a bit focused after the meeting, so I let you go and did a little digging."

"On me or Vasir?"

"Neither. I was trying to figure out who Rigel was. Did you know he doesn't exist?"

Shepard crossed her arms over her chest. "The Illusive Man may have mentioned it. Is there something I need to be worried about?"

Kasumi shook her head. "I don't think so. He's just interesting. He materialized out of nowhere with more money than the CEO of Kassa Fabrication and a Spectre on his hip, then he went and hacked into the Council's Spectre files like it was the easiest thing in the world. I'm still trying to figure out how he managed that."

"He what?"

Kasumi chuckled. "Don't worry, Commander. It's just professional respect and curiosity. If he were a bad guy, he'd have done something bad by now."

"Hacking the secure servers of Citadel Spectres isn't bad?" Garrus said in a dry voice.

Kasumi smiled at him. "Nope."

"Getting back to why we're here," Shepard said, pulling Kasumi's attention back to herself. "Has Cerberus filled you in on what we're up against?"

"Honestly? I'm surprised they didn't come to me sooner. Though that was probably my fault for being hard to find."

"How'd they finally track you down?"

"They didn't. I noticed they were looking for me and tailed them to find out why. Turns out, they were looking for people to join you on a mission. They offered a serious sign-on bonus. I needed something other than money, and we made a deal."

Shepard sighed. Yet another surprise from the Illusive Man. "I suppose this deal is something I should be aware of?"

Kasumi's head tilted to the side. "They didn't tell you? I'm looking for my old partner's Gray Box. A man named Donovan Houck took it – a wealthy businessman, arms dealer, murderer." Kasumi looked at Garrus. "He is a bad guy. I've got a plan to get the Gray Box back, but I'm going to need some help."

Shepard shrugged, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "I help my crew whenever I get the opportunity. You can fill me in on Houck, the Gray Box, and everything else I need to know about back on the Normandy. We can hash out the details of the mission once that's done."

The advertisement in front of Shepard glitched out then faded to nothingness.

"We should probably wrap this up." Shepard and Garrus turned to look up. Kasumi was standing on an air duct above them, grinning like a cat. "You look a little crazy talking to an advertisement like that. See you on the ship, Shepard." Kasumi vanished from view after punching a command into her omni-tool.

Having noted that Thane was already looking up where Kasumi was standing before she'd revealed herself, Shepard turned to him and said, "How long has she been there?"

"Since we exited the security checkpoint." Thane said, turning to Shepard and blinking. "I had assumed she was a private investigator taking pictures of the cheating husband at the bar. I will endeavor to be more alert in the future, Commander."

"The what?" Garrus said, looking towards the bar as he vocalized Shepard's question.

"Who says I can't multitask? Girl's gotta have a day job."

Shepard took an instinctive step back and almost drew her pistol as Kasumi's voice randomly appeared right next to her.

Slowly releasing the grip of his sniper rifle, Garrus said, "Well, at least the Normandy won't be boring anymore."

"When you submit your work to your employer, be sure to inform them of the woman across the bar. She has been directing a hostile look at the man's companion since she sat down. This is likely not his first time cheating." Thane said, not having reacted to Kasumi's unexpected voice.

"Huh. Didn't catch that. Thanks, Thane! I'll give you a cut of the bonus I squeeze out of her." Kasumi's cheerful voice said once more before fading.

Shepard didn't move for several seconds, her eyes zipping back and forth, looking for any sign of an invisible japanese woman. "Thane? Is she gone?"

"Yes."

"Mmm, Shepard? Remind me to lock down the door to the main battery. I don't want her messing with my calibrations." Garrus said, looking around suspiciously.

"As she is a master thief, I imagine she will be able to bypass whatever lock you use to secure your work area." Thane said clinically. "Additionally, she may view your attempts to secure the main battery as an invitation to test her skills against your security."

"That's pretty good advice he's giving you, Garrus."

As Shepard and Garrus nearly jumped out of their skin a second time, Thane turned his head to the side with a frown on his face. Blinking once, he said, "I did not hear you return. You are quite skilled."

"Thank you for the compliment, Thane." Kasumi said, still invisible, standing just an arm's width from the assassin. "Okay, I'm leaving for real this time. See you on the ship!"

For fifteen seconds, there was silence as Shepard and Garrus went back to back, scanning the area for any trace of the thief.

"Thane?" Shepard finally asked. "Is she gone?"

A moment of silence passed.

Turning to look Shepard in the eye, Thane said, "I do not know."

Garrus groaned, reaching up to smack his forehead with his palm. "I already have a headache and we just met her. Do we have anything else we need to do here or can I go back to the ship?"

Shepard shook her head. "We need to pick up some stuff for the crew, then we'll head back."

Shepard had taken two steps closer to the skycar she'd initially intended to commandeer when her omni-tool illuminated against her arm. She was receiving a call. After checking to see who was contacting her, Shepard answered the call, raising her arm and motioning for Garrus and Thane – and maybe Kasumi – to stop.

"Tela? Is everything alright?"

"Fuck no it's not! How close are you to the Citadel?" Tela sounded frantic, frustrated, pissed off.

"I'm on the Citadel. What's–"

"Shut up and listen! I know it sounds crazy, but Sparatus might be controlled by the Reapers and Tevos is going to confront him personally. You need to–"

"Sparatus is indoctrinated!" Shepard yelled, drawing more than a few curious looks from the civilians passing by.

Garrus's head snapped to look at Shepard so fast she was afraid he might have hurt his neck. Thane just looked confused. Shepard hadn't had a chance to brief him or Samara on everything they needed to know about the Reapers yet. She'd only given them the Collectors spiel.

"Sparatus is what!" Garrus demanded. "Shepard what's–"

Shepard motioned for him to shut up and patched him and Thane into her call with Tela.

"Tela, what was tha–" Shepard was cut off as Tela growled through her omni-tool.

"Stop. Tevos. Now. That idiot is going to get herself killed if we're right, and I really fucking hope we're not right."

"Right about wh…" Garrus trailed off as his eyes panned up to track a passing skycar. Where most civilian models were white and Citadel officers were blue, this one was silver with blue stripes. "That's her."

"That's… Garrus are you sure?" Shepard demanded, looking after the skycar as it had already zipped past them, heading towards where Shepard remembered Sparatus's office to be.

"Shepard, I was C-Sec for years. The Council's personal transports were literally in the handbook!"

"I'll call you back, Tela." Shepard said curtly.

"Don't you fucking–"

Shepard disconnected the call.

"Move!" she yelled, shouldering through the small crowd that had gathered to watch her call. Garrus and Thane stuck close to her heels as she tore open the door of the skycar she'd been heading towards and started powering it up.

"We need to move, Shepard. She's probably landed by now." Garrus said, his tone filled with urgency.

"What's indoctrinated?"

"I do not believe this to be the time, Kasumi." Thane said calmly, completely unfazed by the human woman appearing as if from nowhere in the seat next to him.

Too focused to spare any energy being shocked, Shepard and Garrus took Kasumi's sudden appearance in stride as the skycar slowly lifted off the ground. Once they were clear of any structures, Shepard punched it.

It felt as if an eternity had passed by the time Shepard was able to land the skycar next to Councilor Tevos's. If Sparatus really was indoctrinated and Tevos attempted to confront him, Spartacus would probably kill her before activating some failsafe he'd already have precoded into his systems. Shepard needed to get to that office now.

Before the skycar had even touched down, Garrus had thrown open his door and leapt out, sprinting towards Sparatus's office, his sniper rifle in his hands.

"Don't wait for me!" Shepard ordered at Thane's questioning glance, still in the process of landing the skycar.

Thane and Kasumi exited the skycar through the same door Garrus had leapt out of and began running after him.

The skycar landed heavily, damaging the ground beneath, but Shepard couldn't bring herself to care. She left the vehicle running as she ran after her crew.

When she caught up to her team she found Garrus holding his hands above his head, his sniper rifle on the ground at his feet. Thane stood behind him with his pistol drawn on the four guards – two Turian and two Asari – standing outside Sparatus's office. Kasumi was nowhere to be seen.

"Council Spectre!" Shepard shouted, stepping in front of Garrus and pulling up her Spectre status on her omni-tool. " I need to get in that room. Councilor Tevos is in–"

There was a loud bang as a weapon was discharged inside of Sparatus's office.

No longer caring about the guards, Shepard slammed her fist into the door controls to unbar her way. Shepard was momentarily surprised as the Asari guards immediately tackled the Turian guards to the ground, but she focused on getting into Sparatus's office as fast as possible.

The door hissed open and Shepard's blood ran cold.

Councilor Tevos was lying on the ground, weakly pressing her right hand into a large bullet wound in her stomach. The Councilor was laying in a pool of her own purple blood as Councilor Sparatus stalked over her, aiming an M-6 Carnifex down at her trembling form.

"You wicked bitch," Sparatus snarled. "I swear, I will–" Spartacus's words were lost as Shepard, Thane, Garrus, and a now visible Kasumi all unloaded their sidearms into him.

The Turian Councilor's torso snapped back and forth as each shot impacted him before he fell under the assault of so many rounds.

"Thane, Tevos. Kasumi, with me on Sparatus. Garrus, get C-Sec and a trauma team here now." Shepard ordered, sharp and succinct.

Thane holstered his weapon and fell to a knee over Tevos's frail form. He tore a bag from his hip and began administering medi-gel.

As Garrus rapidly began issuing orders to his C-Sec contacts, Shepard and Kasumi approached where Sparatus fell.

With one glance, Shepard learned all she needed to know. Sparatus was dead. There were more holes in him than organs.

Shepard holstered her weapon and rushed over to Thane who had been joined by one of the Asari guards she'd passed on the way in, the other holding the Turian guards at gunpoint, seemingly begging them to give her a reason to shoot.

"Will she make it?" Shepard asked, inspecting the wound Thane was dressing.

The assassin nodded. "The shot missed her vital organs. It will take time to heal, but I am optimistic she will make a full recovery."

As one, Shepard and the guard who'd come to check on Tevos sagged in relief.

Kasumi stood behind Shepard, watching the spectacle with a tilted head. "I haven't been a part of your crew for five minutes and I've already helped you kill a Citadel Councilor."

"It gets worse. Welcome to the madness that is Shepard's life." Garrus said, briefly muting his call.

Shepard fell back on her ass and took a deep breath.

What the fuck just happened?